Re: Switch to Ubuntu Linux not Apple Mac OS
October 20th, 2008
This is a response to an article asking why people switch from Windows to the Mac OS instead of Ubuntu. The author concludes “So why are people not going over to Ubuntu? Beats me.” He even resorts to calling these switchers stupid: “Is it the snob value or stupidity that make people consider a Mac over Windows and not Ubuntu?”
I started this blog in July as a public exploration of my experimentation with Ubuntu. In that time I have tried to use Ubuntu as my default OS in replacement of the Mac OS because I wanted to see how feasible it was. While the simple answer to “can if be done?” is “yes,” it’s really not very easy. So my comments below come from someone who truly enjoys using Ubuntu Linux (I still use it daily) but who has come to appreciate the finer nuances of the Mac OS.
While the author of the aforementioned article does make a few good points about how far Ubuntu Linux has come he fails to recognize a few very basic advantages of the Mac platform that I have come to appreciate during my experiment:
- There is no worry-free replacement for Microsoft Office or the Adobe Creative Suite on Linux. There is on a Mac.
- The Mac has become the simplest zero-setup hub for our digital lives, something that Linux is not, yet.
- Technological cutting edge — the Mac is on the cutting edge where it matters to the consumer.
Spreadsheets & Graphics
On the Mac we have a genuine Microsoft Office suite that is 100% compatible with the Windows version of Office. On Linux we have many office alternatives, the most popular of which is OpenOffice.org. While very good, it is no drop-in replacement for Microsoft Office. It is not a feature-for-feature replacement. In my experience OpenOffice hardly ever opens a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet with 100% accuracy. Regarding spreadsheets, half of the examples that come with the Excel Bible do not run on OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet or any other spreadsheet app that runs on Linux. Until a user can truly switch from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice without worry it will have a very hard time attracting users who do not want to worry about compatibility.
In the realm of graphics there are many feature-rich alternatives to the Adobe Creative Suite components. But, once again, none of them are drop-in replacements. None of them offer the same ease of switching that can be had by simply cross-grading from the Windows to the Mac version of the Adobe Creative Suite. This ease of switching without worry is very enticing.
Digital Hub
The Mac has become a central hub to our digital lives. And it does all this with a flare and panache never before seen in a computer. It is easy for anyone to manage all their music, photos, movies, finances, and anything else in one place, and it all happens in a fun and seamlessly way.
There is just no equivalent to this seamless experience on Linux. The best one can do on Linux is find the best alternatives to all the parts and pieces that make up the Mac experience. But in the end Linux still lacks the synergy that Apple has created with its Macintosh experience. And if one was to try to find the best Linux alternatives they would spend alot of time searching the internet, experimenting, kludging through various scripts, terminal commands, etc. Stuff that most users do not know how to do, nor want to.
Cutting-edge experience
The Mac has become a beacon of coolness in the technology world. The Mac has almost become like in-vogue clothing, with every Apple product announcement like a new fashion show, the sexy new products strutting down the runway and the audience eating it up. People who look to switch because of this want the cool technology to work. And, to put it quite bluntly, almost none of it does on Linux unless the user is willing to spend hours sifting through help forums and playing in their terminal. On Ubuntu Linux, out of the box, the isight, extra keyboard features, illuminating keys, multi-touch or gesture-based actions on the trackpads, and even num-lock does not work. Not to mention that it takes some effort to get wireless working. And sound is not as good — it “scratches” or “pops”, and it is very hard to convince Ubuntu to use the usb iSub.
Ubuntu Linux (and every other distro that I have tried) has yet to fully support the cutting edge technology that Apple offers its customers with their newest products. This certainly makes Linux less attractive than the Mac OS that already comes pre-installed on the hardware.
Summary
I think the two biggest reasons people switch from Windows to Mac are
- The problems with Windows
- The coolness of the Mac
Apple has done an excellent job of positioning its products to be cool enough to consider as an alternative, and technologically cutting-edge in areas that consumers really care about. Until Linux can offer something compelling beyond what the Mac OS already offers it will not break into that “switchers” market.
Linux needs to not just match the Mac OS, but offer something above-and-beyond the Mac OS that will entice users to spend the extra time they need to install it, learn it, and use it.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Sorry to be a pedant, but you spelled “excellent” wrong (Apple has done an excelent job…).
But I totally agree with the article.
October 20th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Thanks for catching that spelling error…it’s been fixed
October 20th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I totally agree with you!
You need a lot of time to configure an Ubuntu box and sometimes you don’t have enough, so you need a quick solution and Mac’s got it.
What I like the most of Ubuntu is that has brought Linux to the final user and not just developers and IT people…But there’s still a long way to go for Ubuntu.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
“Linux needs to not just match the Mac OS, but offer something above-and-beyond the Mac OS that will entice users to spend the extra time they need to install it, learn it, and use it.”
I think it already does. The software is free. Free as in speech and free as in beer. Most people don’t give a rats tail about the speech part, but the free as in beer part usually gets their attention.
I like Mac, it really is the best OS out there. But why would I pay for it when I can get a near equivalent for free? Not just the OS, but practically every piece of software that I could ever want or need is free as well. Ubuntu is snowballing, Every six month release keeps getting exponentially better and better. Plus I can run it on any old piece of hardware I want, avoiding the Apple Tax. I just don’t think it makes sense to switch from one locked in proprietary piece of software to another. If you are forcing yourself into a new learning curve anyway, why not take the plunge and go all the way?
Free beer people. I look at it this way, my favorite beer is Guiness, but if Anheuser-Busch offers me me a free lifetime supply of Budweiser and their zillion other beers, guess what I’m going to be drinking from now on? Guiness is better, but it’s not that much better.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:29 am
I think you need to reexamine these points. While I don’t necessarily dispute them as they relate to the average Joe, you are placing the fault on Linux when in reality it is either Microsoft’s or Apple’s fault. For example:
Office: Your main complaint seems to be that OpenOffice does not perfectly support Microsoft’s proprietary formats. Let me ask you: When one side’s code and format is open for all the world to see and use, and another side’s format is proprietary, on whose side is the burden of ensuring compatibility? Remember that Microsoft’s main business strategy is to use deliberate incompatibilities with competitors to lock the consumer in, and deliberate incompatibilities within their own products to keep the consumer buying new versions. There’s a reason they are still paying billion dollar fines to the EU for anticompetitive practices. Rather, I think MS Office is at fault for not offering a universal open standard format like ODF. That, and I’ve seen plenty of documents and presentations get horribly mangled just going from one version of MS Office to another, or on the same version of MS Office going from and XP machine to a Vista machine.
Cutting edge Mac features: You understand the concept of hardware drivers, yes? It isn’t the OS’s responsibility to magically support any random piece of hardware that you plug in. That Linux can often do that, given enough time, is to its credit. But the responsibility lies with the hardware manufactures to support their own products by supplying drivers to the OS along with their products. OSX just works because the same company makes both the software and the hardware. I’ve never tried running Linux on a Mac, but judging by your post, I’d say Apple probably does try to support Linux with drivers, nor would I expect them to. But then the fault lies with Apple here, not Linux. But despite this, the Linux people are often skilled enough to reverse engineer these drivers from scratch over time. If you really think OSX is magic, try running it on a PC and see how well everything works.
December 31st, 2008 at 7:55 am
I am not sure you understand what cutting edge means when it comes to computer equipment. Apple is cutting edge in looks and feel but it is far from cutting edge in regards to equipment. The motherboard, cpu, memory, graphic card, and network adapters are the same as you will find in any PC. So in reality what you mean to say is that apple products look like something out of a sci-fi movie but the guts are no better than any standard PC on the market.